Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerGov. Chris Christie speaks at the Statehouse earlier this month in this file photo. This week, the governor touted cuts in employee disability fund contributions that was the result of bipartisan legislation passed earlier this year.

LITTLE FALLS — Workers in New Jersey will have about $87 a year less deducted from their paychecks for the state’s disability insurance pool beginning in January, Gov. Chris Christie announced Monday.

"New Jersey workers have been paying much more into the disability fund than what is needed to keep it solvent," Harold J. Wirths, commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, said in a statement. "This change is not only fairer to New Jersey workers, it also leaves people with more spending money to put back into our economy."

Currently, the state withholds $148 from those earning $29,600 a year or more. Starting on Jan. 1, the state will withhold $61 for those who make more than $30,300.

The reduction in withholding taxes, which Christie touted in several public appearances, comes as a result of Democrat-sponsored legislation that the governor signed into law in July.

The state will collect about $190 million less for the fund, which goes to workers who are temporarily disabled and can’t work. There will not be a reduction in coverage, however.

State Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer), who cosponsored the legislation, lauded the governor for implementing the legislation.

"Our goal when we sponsored the legislation was to have workers bringing home additional pay, in turn giving them more disposable income to help stimulate our state’s economy," Turner said in a statement. "This is just one of several ways we can get the state’s economy moving again."

Christie said his administration is pushing for tax cuts, most of which have come in the form of business taxes, because they have made other fiscally responsible decisions.

"We’re doing it because we can afford it," Christie said during an appearance at a military contractor in Little Falls, Kearfott, which develops and produces high-tech navigation systems. "We can afford to do because we made the hard choices over the last few years to be able to do it."

But several Democrats pointed out that most Republican lawmakers voted against the bill.

"Maybe the governor should support some of the Democratic candidates that helped make this payroll tax relief possible, instead of the Republicans who stood in the way," state Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), the state Democratic chairman, said in a statement. "Yet, the governor’s embrace of our progressive idea still doesn’t change the cold fact that this he has done next to nothing for New Jerseyans who under his leadership haven’t been able to find a job that would allow them to get a paycheck and enjoy this tax break in the first place."

Christie also took to the airwaves Monday to boast about the savings, appearing on John Gambling’s New York-area radio talk show on 710 AM in the morning and a show hosted by Sean Hannity on 770 AM in the afternoon.

"For people struggling to make ends meet, those extra $100 or so will help make a difference," Christie said on the Gambling show.

The governor also discussed the changes at Kearfott, where he told about 100 employees that while the $87 tax reduction was minimal, it was a step toward relieving the tax burden on New Jersey residents.

"We’re cutting taxes that are going to affect you finally," Christie said.